Category: Home Decor and Crafts

Home Decor and Craft Projects and Tutorials

$70 Countertop Fix – Giani Granite Paint Part 1

While I am thrilled with how my Shaker cabinet update looks, ease of cleaning, and durability so far, I had yet to solve the problems of ugly countertops and back splash. As you can see in the image on the right the white cabinets need some color contrast instead of the washed out looking counters.

Since this is a house I don’t plan to stay in, I am doing all the improvements at the most frugal cost possible and still look good. After researching I decided to try the Giani Granite paint rather than replace the counters. $70 and a lot of work instead of hundreds of dollars for new counters sounded like a deal.

The steps involved:

1. Clean with SOS or Brillo pads: The picture above shows the counters after I had cleaned them with SOS pads and rinsed them multiple times to make sure the soap residue was removed.

2. Tape off the walls and cabinets: The next prep step is to tape off the counters before painting. The wall edges were a no brainer, but taping the sink was trickier. After trying to tape off the edges by lining the tape up (with unsatisfactory results) I decided to firmly tape the edges with tape extending over the formica and then use a skill knife to carefully cut the tape away from the sink. I was very pleased with the precision this process allowed. FYI — when Giani suggests 2 rows of tape above the back splash they know what they’re talking about. I accidentally dabbed paint above my one row of tape. Fortunately I hadn’t finished the back splash yet so I wasn’t heart-broken about the paint that went above the tape.

taping sink and then cutting edge away gave a very clean edge that didn’t allow paint to bleed under

Completely taped and ready to paint primer

3. Apply the primer: I found the black primer a little intimidating simply because it’s so black. I have an important suggestion before doing this step. PREPARE WHERE YOU WILL CLEAN UP THE BLACK PAINT. After applying the primer the kitchen sink was out of the question so I decided the tub in my bathroom was the safest option. The soap I needed was under the sink (behind my very white cabinets) and I had to push the shower curtain aside (with its snow-white liner) while I had black paint on me. I was able to get set up without getting black paint on anything, but I was stressed. Every little splash as I was washing things scared me too. The primer is very, very black. Better still — take the Giani advice and line your paint tray with foil. I wish I would have.

As far as the primed surface — the primer dries to a matte black finish.

4. The first coat of Giani minerals: Since I purchased the chocolate-brown kit my first coat was a gold. I cut the round sponge that came with the kit in half after looking at all sides of the ball and picking the side the had the most open cells instead of a side that had exposed tubes of the cells so it would provide good speckling. I attached a small piece to a pencil to get into the corners and tight areas. I ended up cutting another that provided a fairly straight edge to get the top of the back splash and along the wall. After I got the technique down I found the process fun. Except for behind the sink and faucet. That area was a bugger to do.

Working on the first coat

First coat complete – the paint is a matte finish

5. The second coat: My second was a cream color. I was much happier with the look of the counter when it was darker and figured I would want to darken it up some, but I had to wait for the final coat which is a chocolate-brown to see what I wanted to do.

Counters with 2nd coat of cream-colored Giani minerals

6. Final coat of paint: the last coat is a layer of chocolate-brown. This is where the problems started. I shook the can, I stirred the can, but when I poured out the paint it was far more watery than the other two coats. I shook it more, stirred it more and it was still watery. I probably made a bad decision and went ahead and applied the watery paint.

It was a completely different experience from the other coats. It blotched, it ran, it ran out. There was plenty of paint, but I think the sponge absorbed a lot more due to the watery consistency and I was barely able to finish all the counters even with putting less on the last 2/3’s of the surface.

Where the previous layers had been a nice speckle, this layer looked blotchy and didn’t want to cover. I was concerned.

Watery looking brown paint

Close up of the watery appearance

Giani customer support

As soon as I washed up my tools and took a good look at my counters I got online and found the number for Giani. I called and told them about the watery paint and blotchy appearance and asked what I could do. They were very concerned about my problems and offered whatever paints I wanted to correct the problem and make me happy with the counters. They offered to FedEx more of the chocolate and gold paint as well as another sponge. Where customer service seems to be dying a terrible death in the US, these folks know the true meaning of the concept.

Unfortunately it was Friday so the earliest I ccould get the paints would be Monday which means I have to live with a torn up kitchen for a few days. I just don’t see what other choice I have since the counters are so important.

Continue to part 2.

June 7, 2013
PVC Dog Cot Tutorial

Nikki and Ellie 4-24-2005 on the first cot I made

Update February 10, 2015 – New sizes available

I have added instructions below for materials and cutting for medium and small PVC dog cots as well as the original large PVC dog cots. The small size looks so cute when next to the large one.

I went to buy smaller diameter PVC for the medium and small and didn’t like the amount of flex (bending) in 1″ PVC so all 3 sizes are designed using 1 1/2″ PVC. Make the legs shorter for the smaller sizes.

All the general instructions remain the same — just use the correct set of measurements you need for your dog.

If you don’t sew I will be selling the slings for all three sizes so see Large, medium, and small dog cot slings for sale for details.

Update 2/15/2015 – let me know if you need a specific size

Sarah contacted me yesterday asking if I could help her with measurements for a dog cot that would fit inside their dog crate. Since I had done my calculations for the new medium and small size cots in Excel I was able to come up with all the measurements fairly easily. If you need a specific size, let me know and I will help if I can. Just don’t go too small since the slings get harder to put on small frames.

Tutorial

I had a reader request I sew one set of slings for the PVC dog cots and send them to her so she could then sew two more for her 3 dogs. I figured a step by step tutorial on how to do it might be warranted.

This is basic sewing so anyone can do this project. All that’s required are straight rows of straight or zigzag stitches so it would be a good beginner project.

This tutorial is based on using 1 1/2″ PVC pipe and fittings only for a 30″ by 36″ bed for a large dog. Before making, be sure you have the floor space to accommodate the bed. If you have a smaller dog and want a smaller bed you will have to calculate different measurements. If you need help doing this you can contact me.

What you need for the project:

The first thing you will need to track down is the elbows that will be the corners of the bed. You can find the elbows on Amazon and they are also available at US Plastics and other places. Update: when I made my first cots these 3 way elbows were not available locally. Appears the big box stores carry them now, which makes this project even easier. Note added February 21, 2017: Bob let me know he ordered the 3-way elbows on-line at Home Depot, a pack of 4 for $10.26 with free shipping to the store: 1-1/2 in. Furniture Grade PVC 3-Way Elbow in White (4-Pack) Internet #: 205749500 UPC Code: 812039024359

You can go to your local big box home improvement store to find 1 1/2″ pvc in 8 ft. lengths. It’s reasonably priced.Look for 3 way elbow fittings and for this tutorial they must be 1 1/2 inch. Note added February 21, 2017: Bob also thought I should specify that expensive furniture grade PVC isn’t necessary, but schedule 40 pipe is important since it’s much stronger and thicker than schedule 30. So be sure to get schedule 40 PVC pipe. Take the measurements for each side and see if they will cut the pipe for you.

Note added February 21, 2017: Last but not least Bob mentioned rubber caps that would prevent slipping on hard floors with part information Home Depot # Model # PQC-101 Internet # 100372302 Store SKU # 688053. They are $2.97 each. He suggested they be glued to the bottom of the legs so it doesn’t harm your dog. I ran into a sliding problem and bought rubber pads for furniture legs and glued them on the legs. Either idea works well and will also protect floors.

Cutting the PVC

They sell PVC cutters that work amazingly well. I didn’t have one for this size PVC so I cut the pipe with my compound miter saw. Cut the pipe into 2 32″ and 26″ pieces. When fitted into the elbows this will create a frame with the outside dimensions of 30″ by 36″.

You will also need 4 small pieces for the legs. I recently increased the legs on mine after finding out one of my dogs has arthritis in her spine and I want to make sure she’s suspended above the floor. 4″ or 5″ legs would work fine for smaller/younger dogs.

Fabric

I’ve tried 100% cotton, cotton/polyester blend, and Cordura. 100% cotton stretches a lot. Cordura is exceedingly tough, but I don’t like it because it’s noisy — every time the dogs move around on their beds it’s very noisy. I like cotton/polyester the best. The cotton makes it soft for the dogs and the polyester makes it durable.

The important thing about the fabric is that it must be over 48″ in width (you will need to cut the selvages off). The last fabric I purchased was Crosstalk Target at Joann which is a 65/35 cotton/poly blend that is 53″ wide. If it’s not on sale make sure you have one of their 40% off coupons – the coupons can be loaded on your smart phone. If you buy another fabric make sure it’s machine washable and at least 48″ wide.

How much fabric you’ll need

Fabric layout for 2 large dog cots

Cutting out the fabric

These instructions are written for someone with little sewing experience, so forgive me if you are an experienced seamstress.

Note: Cut the edge selvages off before measuring and cutting the slings.No pattern needed. I use a T-square to square up the fabric and make straight lines for cutting, marking the lines with a chalk pencil and then cut. I always buy a little more fabric than required because fabric stores often don’t cut the fabric straight. Once you square it up you can lose a couple inches, so better to be safe than sorry.

Sewing the slings

I recommend Gutermann thread. Cheaper threads aren’t of consistent thickness and will jamb up in the sewing machine. Gutermann is quality thread and a dream to sew with.

That said — you don’t need an expensive sewing machine. My expensive machine died and no longer had replacement parts available and I wasn’t in the mood to spend $1,500 to $2,000 on a machine. I purchased a cheap machine and it does just fine for basic sewing. Cheap machine = okay. Cheap thread = not okay.

The ironing board and iron are both your friends. If you want to turn out a decent sewing project they are almost more critical than the machine you sew on.

Sew outside hems

inch hems ironed on side of each sling

After the panels are cut use an iron to turn 1 inch hems on the sides of the panels. You can go the further step of then folding the seam under again for the 1/2 inch hem you want in the end, but I find ironing the 1″ fold makes it easy to tuck the 1/2 inch under for the finished seam while I’m sewing — but I’ve been sewing since I was 5 years old, so the extra step of folding under the hem may be easier for those of you new to sewing.

Sew the 4 outside hems. A single line of stitching is fine

for these hems since they won’t take a lot of abuse from the dogs using the beds. The narrow slings should have a finished width of 23″ and the wider slings should be 29″.

Sew end pockets for PVC tubing

Use the iron to turn under a 1/2″ hem on each end of the slings.

Fold the ends under 4″ to form the pockets and pin. Double and triple check before sewing that the finished length of the wide sling is 31 1/2″ and the finished length of the narrow sling is 37 1/2″.

The most important thing is the finished length of each sling. If they are too long they will droop on the floor and defeat the whole purpose of the bed. If they are too short you won’t be able to assemble the bed.

When you are sure you have the correct length, stitch the pockets. I do three rows of stitching since these are the seams that will take the most abuse from the dogs jumping on the beds. I have two 75 lb. dogs who at times both leap on the same bed — I haven’t had a seam fail yet. The zigzag stitch is very strong, so you can use that as well. Just make sure the pocket for the PVC pipe is 6 1/2″ total or 3 1/4″ folded since the circumference of the 1 1/2″ PVC is 6″.

Assembly

My QA department making sure I do a good job on the cot

This is what the assembled frame looks like without the slings

Final corner ready for assembly

Fully assembled dog cot

You have your finished slings and you’ve cut the PVC pipe to the required lengths. You also have you PVC elbow for the corners and the short pieces for the legs. You are ready for assembly.

The first three corners will be easy. If you’ve sewn the slings to the correct length, the final corner should be a pain to assemble because everything will be tight. That’s a good thing, so don’t worry. Note: as the cots get smaller they are harder to get that last corner on so the medium and small are hard, but doable. You want the fabric to be tight, so don’t get upset if it a bear to do the last corner.

I have assembled the beds in a multitude of ways. I prefer to put the slings over the appropriate length of pipe and then added the corners. The 4th corner should be difficult to do — you may have to tilt the opening of the corner and work the pipe into it.

Maintenance

The beds are easy to dismantle so the slings can be run through the washing machine. The PVC can easily be wiped down as well. After washing and drying the slings just reassemble.

If you have any questions please contact me.

Links

A reader named Donna and I worked out the dimensions to make a smaller cot with 1″ PVC.

March 14, 2013
Ordering decor over the internet

I had unhappy dogs since we arrived at our new fixer upper house in Tennessee. They had lived their entire lives with a carpeted living room and were retreating to their beds since they didn’t like to lay on the cold hardwood. They seemed to be adjusting to slipping and sliding as they chase their toys. They were not adjusting to the hardwood for resting. I needed an area rug and I needed one now.

I searched and searched the internet not even sure what I wanted. A solid? A pattern? What color or colors? I was looking through the endless selection available on Overstock.com when I saw it. It was perfect. At least it was perfect according the color settings on my monitor. What if it arrived and the colors looked totally different in reality?

I wrestled with ordering the rug for a couple of days. I kept looking at it pondering what return shipping would cost on an item that large and heavy if the colors turned out to be hideous. I have moved to a somewhat rural area so I can’t just run over to a store and shop, besides the prices I was seeing at those stores were really high. I finally screwed up my nerve (in desperation to get something) and pushed the order button.

By the way, I signed up for Ebates and accessed Overstock.com through them so I will be getting a rebate on the rug.

I ordered it on Monday and the rug arrived Wednesday afternoon! I unrolled it and it’s perfect — it’s a negative of the colors in my couch. The blue is a denim blue that picks up the blue in the couch. The reds and greens picks up the couch colors as well. I’m thrilled.

And the dogs are happy 🙂

January 23, 2013